5 great memories from 2012...

So, today I wanted to highlight 5 great memories from this year. This isn't in any real order nor is it the only 5 great things that happened this year... ;-)

5-For the majority of The Major's deployment we got to live with my parents. It was a fantastic way to make a difficult 6 months a great time to reconnect with family and my hometown. I loved having my 2 sweet girls get to be around their grandparents for so long and watch their relationships just bloom!

Here are my 2 little firecrackers and my
parents. We so enjoyed all the time.
Going to church with them was
an extra treat.

4-While staying with my parents I was able to celebrate my mom's birthday with her. This is so rare because we live so far away. This year my dad, siblings, & I decided to have her Amish dress remade. How cool is that! Her original dress was destroyed over 20 years ago (it's a long story) and she has been so sad ever since. This was a priceless moment!

She was so surprised and was amazed with how close the
likeness was.

3-On a warm day in June my daughter pointed to the sky when she saw this cloud passing by. This is not a game of "what does that cloud look like" but really...this cloud IS A HEART! I was so reminded on that day of how much God loves me and how even His world boasts of his love and majesty. I love these moments with children...such teachable times in showing how God is with us...

Over the mountains and the seas,
Your river runs with love for me.

2-I LOVED doing this photo shoot for my Love. While The Major was deployed I was writing a WW2 novel and I was all about the 40s. The girls and I did this shoot at a local train station inspired by WW2 home comings. How I longed for the homecoming at this point...but we were still over 2 months away from it. He loved the photos and I am amazed at how authentic my photographer made them appear. My oldest thought this was so much fun...my youngest...well, she hated it...

Dreaming of seeing my guy.

1-What an amazing moment...reuniting with my Love!!!! And watching our girls reunite with him was breathtaking. I can't imagine being away from them for so long and my heart breaks for The Major in how much he missed...but God has been so faithful. We 4 are sooooo very thankful to be together!

There have been so many wonderful memories this year...these are just a few...

...my oldest has learned to read! And in a few short months is reading at an unbelievable pace for just learning and for just being 5. She just amazes me every day.

...my youngest is just so funny. She really keeps me on my toes...she has gotten white out all over her mouth, gotten stuck in a doll stroller, learned to somersault on her own, can climb ANYTHING, and against my efforts had a mouth full of molding clay. Sigh...this was all before she turned 2...I think I have more gray hair.

...my husband ran another 1/2 marathon and got 1st place in his age group! He got 100 on his PT test and today is having his picture taken an article written about it. Love him!

...after finishing a novel this year I was offered to sign with literary agent Natasha Kern. The answer was a resounding YES! I cannot tell you how amazed I am with her expertise! I feel overwhelmed and so thankful.

WHAT A YEAR!!! There are so many of those sweet, cute memories that happen daily that I don't have pictures of but are hidden so dearly in my heart. I'm so thankful for the life God has given to me.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

YOUR TURN: Tell me what have been some of your memories from 2012. I'd love to hear!

Since my last blog...

This one didn't make the top 5 but
it is a REALLY good lesson.

Okay, so I am seriously behind on blogging. I really didn't take into account the enormity of the deployment and how it would affect real life. Wowzers! I don't know how Military Wives do it who have husbands gone for a year or more and numerous deployments! You are heroes in my book! 

I did learn a lot about myself and I was able to accomplish and experience some things since my last blog...

Here's my list...

5 Things I learned about myself since my last blog...

5-I'm an emotional eater! Yep...what's my poison? Tortialla chips with cheese melted all over...I'm not kidding when I say that my stomach audibly growled just now typing that. I'm totally eating some after this blog is written.

4-I still need my mama! Okay, so I already knew that, but it was more obvious to me when I made my 6 week trip "back home" into 4 1/2 months!   

3-I really love rural living! I thought I gave this up when I married into the military and have lived in subdivision after subdivision. Nope...for 4 1/2 months I returned to my country-girl roots. I miss it! My girls THRIVED in this environment and I hope someday we can have that rural life for our family.

2-I realized that while I am a SAHM (who writes-at-home, too) and I do about 95% of the cooking, laundry, schooling, diapering, bathing...etc...that my husband still does A LOT for me! I've always known that he's an amazing husband and father...but being away from him for 6 months...good grief. I just love that man! 

1-I need to depend on God way more than I do! Period! Exclamation Point!

And...how does this better me? 

I've always been a self-reflective person. I am always trying to figuring something out and learn something new about myself and my world. So for me this was like therapy...except I wasn't on a couch talking to anyone but myself...maybe I do need therapy? Well, I God taught me that without my whole heart dependent on Him...it's just barely surviving. When I leaned on Him to get me through my emotional eating, lonesomeness, and so many other things...He made me thrive! 

What have you been up to in the last few months!? Have you learned anything exciting about yourself?

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Life in Limericks: Week 10

Week 10:

This week we were so sick it hurt
And my husband's still far away in a yurt
We miss him something fierce
Poor Felicity cried buckets of tears
One/third down, sigh, I need more dessert.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Life in Limericks: Week 9

Week 9


I'm lost for rhymes for this limerick
Have to say my Felicity is euphoric
Babushka the kitten is here
And she is cute and oh so dear
But as started to I this my Mercy is getting sick

...yes, as in vomit.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Life in Limericks: Week 8

Week 8:

It's rare that I sleep through the night
Since Mercy's eye teeth are putting up quite a fight,
Felicity's learning to read
And she had a bike injury bleed,
Oh boy, we're missing our Major with all our might.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

PS: My Tuesday & Thursday postings will likely be postponed until my life slows down a little. I will keep posting my Friday limericks and I really hope you continue to tune in! ...and share them!

PPS: I just finished "Reinventing Leona" by Lynne Gentry. I loved it! You can read my Amazon review here.

My Favorite Skype Picture

Good Morning...Good Night...Living 11 hours and 7,000 miles apart.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Life in Limericks: Week 7

Week 7:

My dad came to help drive on Sunday
All packed & ready to go by Monday
12 plus hours go by
Our new apartment in FLY
Mom & Dad are getting lots of grandgirlie play

Cheers,
Elizabeth

PS: I just finished listening to audiobook A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell...SOOOOOOO very good! I am reading Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry & REALLY enjoying it!

Life in Limericks: Week 6

Week 6:

This week we lost a Monkee named Davy.
The weather is making my hair pathetically wavy.
Felicity's ear ached without remorse,
Mercy's eating like a horse,
Thank goodness for biscuits and gravy.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

NewsTalk Radio with Sean Moncreiff

I am going to be on the radio...IN IRELAND!!!!

Unfortunately, it's not in person...but I'm thrilled to be interviewed by Sean Moncreiff over the phone on NewsTalk Radio.

Feb 27th, Monday (that's today), Central time 10a!

Here's the link: http://www.newstalk.ie/programmes/all/moncrieff/

Description of Moncreiff's show from NewsTalk Site:


Moncreiff is a lively mix of phone-ins, 
insightful text messages 
and stories from around the world 
and down your street.




I'm amazed to have the opportunity to talk to such a successful radio host from around the world about my Amish book Seasons. I've also learned that there are Amish in Ireland. Not only is that intriguing, but it makes me want to visit Ireland even more than ever!

Hope you tune in!

Cheers,
Elizabeth

PS: This post is taking the place of my typical Tuesday post.

Bettering My Skin

So, I'm sticking to my focus goal of healthier me...

I had a chemical peel last week for my skin. I have a lot of scarring from years of acne issues...from puberty all the way until, like, last week. {grin} Okay, I'm exaggerating a little.

I bought new products that are amazing from the Aesthetician that she created herself. She was so amazing with my skin and may as well be a nutritionist. I've always had a dairy issue and in the past 2 years or so have been off and on again on a low-gluten diet...knowing that I feel better with less gluten & wheat in my system. She was so knowledgable I left with better skin & more wisdom!

I met the Aesthetician through my sister (who has a great website on fitness: http://embodyfitness.wordpress.com/...it's awesome) and she's also going through a similar skin issue as me...she has also experienced amazing improvements. I wouldn't recommend just any aesthetician, but if you find one that works with as natural products as possible, might be worth a shot!

I also bought an exfoliation brush. My skin seriously is already looking WORLDS better.

My running slipped a bit while I was away and then the kids were sick, delaying our trip home for 2 days. But got back on the treadmill today and ran...and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty.

I'm now searching for the right natural makeups that will enhance my skin rather than re-clog it all...will let you know what I find. ;-)

BUT...I am already starting to become a BETTER ME! ;-)

Some of you may ask why all the focus on "skin-deep beauty" perhaps. Maybe some would even consider me vain? Well, all I can say is that I've lived with major acne or acne scarring for over 20 years and I've just had enough of it. When you've lived with it for that long, I think it's okay to try to see what can help. And, a lot of skin issues have to do with the health of your body & system...including sticking to a healthy diet. I want to improve it all. And, rest assured, God is working on the deeper stuff, too. ;-)

Cheers,
Elizabeth

A Better ME????

So, it's been nearly a month since The Major left for Kyrgyzstan. It's been a month of tears but also some really sweet moments cuddled up with my girlies. We took our first road trip to see my sister and her family (3 action packed girls)...yes, 5 girls in 1 house. Consider our super-hero-mom strength being ears of steel...sometimes the house was so loud I think our brains were ready to bleed out our ears. haha Though the trip was only 5 hours one-way, that was an accomplishment for me with a 4 1/2 year old and 17 month old (who doesn't sleep in her carseat & doesn't enjoy it either!).

This month has given me some time to consider my goals...I want this time to mean something. I don't want to just X out a bunch of calendar squares without thinking to myself "Yep, I did it today!"...not just survived. I know there will be many days of pure survival & that's okay...but without a goal in mind the only goal then is ONLY survival. I don't want not live that way...not for 6 months, not for any length of time.

So, do you want to see what my focus will be?

1-Spiritual health. The Major and I are reading through a Psalm daily and then Proverbs. That will bring us within days or weeks of his arrival home. I am also doing an online Ephesian's study with "Good Morning Girls" (google it). I also, especially when I'm discouraged, I pick up the following books:

Faith Deployed by Jocelyn Green
40 Ways to Get Closer to God by Jerry MacGregor (or Chip MacGregor as many know him as)
Fighting Fear, Winning the War at Home by Edie Melson
Faith Deployed...Again by Jocelyn Green...again. ;-)

Those books are so helpful in getting my focus on my heart and God and where HE has me in the moment.

2-Physical Health. I have started running! I am running on average of about 20 mins a day on a treadmill, which is about 2 miles for me. Yes, I'm being pretty real with you all. I HATE working out but this little trick is working...what's the "trick?" I listen to great audio books when I run...and won't let myself listen to them unless I'm running. ;-) Right now I'm listening to "A Heart Most Worthy" by Siri Mitchell. Soooo good.

I am also working on finding more natural ways to eat (which we mostly do already anyway), dye my hair, and take care of my skin. I have LOTS of gray and I'm only 34 so going gray gracefully is not in the short-term timeline...but I want to find a less chemical way to do this. I know they are out there...it's time to do some research. And when I was in H.S. and college I had AWFUL skin and this carried over into my young wifehood & early motherhood. Even now I can get some seriously teenage looking breakouts. But I have some bad scarring and I really want to work toward a fix. So I started with a consultation with an amazing Aesthetician who does things naturally & works with your whole body's health...that means right eating & everything...it ALL affects your skin & hair. Today I had a chemical peel among other treatments & bought some amazing products. My skin feels like it is actually BREATHING!!!! We're on a roll!

3-Writing Health. I am in the middle of a manuscript that I LOVE! I have a deadline and I'm super excited about finishing it. I'm learning the craft through a variety of ways and working on being the best fiction writer I can. Finishing this current manuscript is the simplest goal I can lay out for my writing...and one of the hardest things to do when your hubby is over 7000 miles away & you're a single mama for the time being. BUT, I'm determined. I will be traveling to my parents for about 6 wks very soon & it seems when I'm away from home I really get "inspired" and I can get some words out. Since I've visited my sister I was able to get quite a bit done, inspiring myself to keep at it.

Those are the 3 main focuses that I have. I wouldn't consider them full-fledged goals b/c I didn't lay out the way to measure success...but they are focuses and I'm excited about each of them.

Check back & see how I'm doing. I will blog about the aspects of each of them as I feel led. So...beware...one day you might get a diatribe of info on why you should consider going on a low-diary (or NO-dairy) or low/no gluten diet...to another day where I talk about what my characters are putting me through...or why I was discouraged & what verse or book got me out of my funk.

I hope you come back!

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Week 4: Life in Limericks

A five hour road trip to start

A Valentines 7,000 miles apart

Ice cream & cookies are keepin' it real

Big sis and I had a chemical peel

Oh, this trip has been good for my heart!

Cheers,

Elizabeth

Prayer and Angels by Raquel Martinez

This post is by a very dear friend of mine and one of my critique partners. She has an AMAZING blog that I read obsessively. I hope you enjoy.

On March 20, 2003, my youngest son and his Marine unit crossed the central desert of Iraq on their way to Bagdad.  The war had just begun.

He was twenty-one years old at the time.  At home on that day, his high school friends worried about college classes, making it to work on time, and what to plan for Saturday night.

I had spent every moment since his deployment in January, praying for his safety, though I acknowleded that God’s Will would be done.  Because of the seriousness of war, I, and many others, prayed that God would cover my precious son with His angels, so that he would have the strength and courage to face whatever happened.

My son came home that year in September, and he shared many miraculous escapes from death. The most amazing happened on March 20^th.

As they crossed the desert, a huge sandstorm blew in.  It was so blinding that they “circled the wagons,” silenced their radios, and waited for it to abate.  They were defenseless in the storm. They occasionally saw flashes of light up ahead, but lightening sometimes accompanies these sandstorms. 

The next day the Air Force told them that a huge contingent of Iraqi army had crossed the desert during the storm. What they had seen were explosions and gun fire. Had the smaller Marine unit continued on their route, they would have crossed paths.  They would have been among the first casualties of the war.  The Air Force said the sandstorm had saved their lives.

My son answered it was everyone at home praying for him and his friends’ safety who had saved their lives. I believe God sent His angels and they stirred up that sandstorm. 

www.raquelmartinamartinez.com

I promise to do my hair and makeup before posting a new blog every Monday. I'll even wear heels, but I am not compromising on the pajamas.

Celebrating Daily

This is not the first Valentine's Day I've celebrated without my husband. I think the 2nd or 3rd.

I am I'd say fairly typical that I appreciate getting something for Valentine's Day...but I am not very high maintenance about it. I'd rather want something thoughtful than something expensive. I'd rather get that deep sense of romantic love (even the squishy, college sweetheart, starry-eyed kind) from time spent together than a gift that was clearly a quick drive-by online grab.

Yes, I've been annoyed that we've spent Valentine's apart before...because of "the job." I'm pretty sure I've even complained about it. {clears throat}

Goodbye Kiss
January 24th, 2012

But this year...yes, we are apart, but something I feel so strongly about is that I cannot complain about being away from him for Valentine's Day. Sure, I'd LOVE to have a romantic date with him and celebrate our love. I'd love to watch a fun romantic comedy or Pride & Prejudice for the millionth time & bask in the glory that is all things chocolate sans guilt day.

BUT...I have the distinct feeling that this might be the most memorable of Valentine's Days from previous years & for many years to come. We are apart...but I have never felt such a strong love for The Major as I do now.

I can see that I've been taking for granted his love, his presence, his help, his playfulness with the girls, his hotness (ooolala), his strength of character, his forearm where I love to lean, his hand that I love to hold...you get the picture...I've realized these first few weeks of the deployment that I haven't been giving enough credence, enough time, enough weight, enough thought toward my amazing husband.

No, I wasn't mean, not annoyed with him, not callous or unloving...but I wasn't intentional enough.

It is SO EASY to get caught up in the drama of life, the action of busy-ness, the animation of little girls, the complete comedy of life in in a mini-van, even...that the ROMANCE can be a little rushed & lost. I mean the romance that happens with two connecting souls...when your hands touch, your eyes meet, your voices fill the space of each other is all that matters.

I think I've missed reminding myself not just that HE picked me but...

I. PICKED. HIM! I didn't want anyone else but HIM. 

That is something I should be celebrating daily...

I think Valentine's day is going to be great this year...because the value of my LOVE for my husband has been multiplied in my heart.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Elizabeth

Week 3 deployment Limerick

Running on the treadmill, a little everyday
Ice skating and giggles and lots of princess play
We got invites for yummy eats
And that really beats
The 2 bad haircuts I got in one day.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Change of Thinking by Judi Folmsbee

On Sunday, April 15^th, 2007, my husband, Rick and I received a phone from our son, Heath. He was a member of the Virginia National Guard, and he had called to inform us that he would be going to Iraq.

This kind of news was no stranger to us, because Heath already had served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. At the time of his first deployment in March of 2004, he was a Virginia Tech senior majoring in mechanical engineering. Heath had been dating a wonderful Virginia Tech graduate for seven years.  Heath and Chelsea were married two weeks before he left for Afghanistan.

That Sunday, April 15^th, 2007, my mind did an instant replay of many things that recently occurred. A few months before, in December of 2006, Heath, who had returned from Afghanistan, graduated from Virginia Tech with his mechanical engineering degree.

Shortly after he graduated, he landed a wonderful job. He and Chelsea bought a home. The news of April 15^th, turned tranquility and happiness into feelings of dread. I was so angry! In less than three years of married life, Heath and Chelsea were separated again. I know it happens to many military families. When he enlisted in the Virginia National Guard in 2001, he didn’t expect to become in the “International Guard”, as we called it.

On Monday, April 16^th, 2007, I got up feeling tired and emotional. I had a hard time concentrating on my way to work at 7:15 that morning. As the day developed, I heard as everyone did, about the horrible tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech.

I called Heath as soon as I could. He was distraught, as he too, heard the Virginia Tech news. As the days unfolded, he found out that a few former classmates as well as one of his favorite professors were listed among the dead. I realized that, had Heath decided to stay in college and get his master’s degree, he could have been in one of those classes.

I learned something from all of this. God reminded me that I am not here on the earth by myself and that I needed to stop being so self-centered. I learned that God uses tragedies like that of Virginia Tech to teach us to be mindful of others and to reach out to those who truly are in need of help.

God reminded me of the importance of prayer. He let me know that my bad news of April 15^th was just a pebble on the road of life compared to the boulder that hit so many innocent lives that fateful April 16^th. I soon began to realize that Heath didn’t have to go to Iraq to be killed.

Heath completed his National Guard commitment. Now he works at the same job and lives in the same house they bought before he was deployed. Heath and Chelsea are grateful he came back uninjured. They are very happy and have realized those experiences have made them stronger individuals and stronger as a couple. They try to live each day as best they can and savor the moments they have together. They don’t take what they have for granted.

A retired teacher, Judi attends Crossroad Community Church in Georgetown, Delaware. She is a member of the Delmarva Christian Writers’ Fellowship. She has written three children’s books; Bubba the Busy Beaver, Preposterous Pebbles, and the Bird Roller Coaster.  She has been recently published in the new Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotionals for Tough Times. I n addition, she is a contributor to a recently published book called: Fighting Fear Winning the War at Home (When your soldier Leaves for Battle) by Edie Melson. 

Peas in the Army Pod by Mary C. Findley

My father and uncle, Donald and Clarence Campagna, served in WWII. I have fond memories of them fooling us as children by standing side by side and making us guess which was which. Uncle Clarence was left-handed and so he had to hide the watch on the right wrist. He also had some gold-capped teeth, so they had to keep their moths shut. It was very hard, for many years, for even their own children to tell the difference.

Donald & Clarence Campagna

Dad and Uncle Clarence made the news after getting their "greetings" (called-up into service notices) December 5, 1942. They joined the 398th Color Guard. The article describes the slight differences in height and weight, their "gunboat" shoe sizes of 14 and 14 1/2, and the fact that dad was a Pfc and Uncle Clarence was a Corporal. The article also mentioned that their first separation occurred during a 3 weeks assignment to the 100th Division.

Dad didn't often tell stories about his war experiences, but he did like to tell one about that brief first separation. The details are a little hazy now, and I never have known he proper military terminology, but I think it went something like this. He said that a visiting General went around inspecting troops and stopped when he came to my dad.

"Didn't I already see you today, when I was with -- ?" and he named the group Uncle Clarence was with. Dad tried to maintain proper military discipline, I'm sure, but he told the General his brother was in that group. The General had to question him a little further, as I understand, to learn that they were identical twins and that this was the first time they had been separated. The General replied that the separation was at an end, and got them assigned to the same unit.

My dad, in all his handsomeness, from a photo taken with Uncle Clarence in their dress uniforms, graces the cover of my Young Adult Medieval Suspense Hope and the Knight of the Black Lion.

http://amzn.to/vY9Wt6 Link to Hope and the Knight of the Black Lion

http://amzn.to/vOxpEI Link to the Illuminated Hope and the Knight of hte Black Lion, illustrated in the style of a medieval manuscript.


http:elkjerkyforthesoul.wordpress.com is our blog

About Mary:

I grew up in rural NY and Michael is a "city boy" from AZ. We met at college, taught school in AZ, MO and PA, homeschooled, and created curriculum and videos for church and commercial productions. We have three 20-something children, and now travel the 48 states together in a tractor trailer.

http://elkjerkyforthesoul.wordpress.com (our blog)

Weeks 1 & 2 Deployment Limericks

So, I think to keep it real, I'm going to write a limerick for each week The Major is deployed.

Here we go!

Week 1

The first week from the airport you left
You committed a typical deployment type theft
You stole my heart
And that was the start
Of our romance across half-a-world's cleft

Week 2

The vacuum belt burned and it broke
The fridge ice maker is a complete joke
After a box of Lucky Charms
And setting off our alarms
I ran to the bath for a soak

I wonder what next Friday will bring!

Cheers,
Elizabeth

You Get to Miss Your Husband

There’s this thing that happens when your soldier deploys.  It’s one of the great things about being a soldier’s wife.  It’s something that civilian wives don’t get to do and, truthfully, I feel a little sorry for them because of it.

You get to miss your husband.

There is something to be said for missing the other half of you.  After 9/11, I thought the worst thing that could ever personally happen to me would be for my husband to deploy.  As it turned out, it was the greatest thing ever. 

Oh, don’t read me wrong, I missed him.  Half of me was ripped out and sent to the other side of the world.  It hurt.  There were days I cried, screamed and--during a particularly hairy time for them over there—refused to speak to God for two days. 

When your husband is gone, you learn to appreciate things.  Dirty socks on the floor are a blessing, because they mean he’s home.  Three times the laundry isn’t such a chore. (How does that happen anyway?  Add one person to the mix and triple the laundry?)  The things you took for granted become priceless. During his first deployment, I really missed his forearm.  Think I’m crazy?  That’s the spot I lay my hand on when we sit together in church.  And yes, I missed that most of all.

At the time he left, I’d been his wife for ten years.  While he was gone, God took me through a pretty intense personal time.  I started to remember who I was.  Because my husband wasn’t here for me to share things with, I shared more with God.  I listened more.  And I learned things about me that I’d forgotten or maybe never even knew.  It was then that He told me He wanted me to be a writer and proceeded to beat me against a rock until I was ready to do it His way.  With my husband here, that time wouldn’t have happened.

Then there’s the communication thing.  Our unit was in a super-remote area in Iraq.  No phones.  No internet. Sparse mail service.  When you only get one five-minute phone call every fourteen days, you learn how to weed out the mundane and get to the heart. We poured out thoughts in real, honest-to-goodness, handwritten letters.  It was amazing!  I learned more about my husband in that year than I had in the previous ten.  We learned to dream again, to talk of what we’d do when he got back and in the future beyond that.  When he returned, we were closer than we’d ever been.

Deployment.  It can be a four-letter-curse word or the most beautiful blessing in your life.  It all depends on how you look at it.  You can fight it the entire time and be completely miserable.  But, if you’re willing to see it through God’s eyes, you might just find blessings greater than you’ve ever dared to imagine.

Jodie Bailey is an avid reader, a life-long writer, and an aspiring beach bum.  When not tapping away at the keyboard, she watches NCIS reruns, eats too many chocolate chip cookies, and attempts to teach middle schoolers how to write coherent sentences.  She lives in North Carolina with her husband and daughter.  Her first military suspense, Freefall, will be released by Steeple Hill in November.


www.jodiebailey.com

Lucky Charms & Chocolate Cheesecake

So, we are on day 8 of my husband leaving for his deployment. Which means it'll probably be about another 180 days before he comes home.

Now...you understand the title, right? Comfort foods. Lucky Charms (hidden in the corner of the pantry so my daughters don't find it) and Chocolate Cheesecake...both are delish any time of day. Though it seems that cheese cake would be perfect for breakfast & Lucky Charms will work wonders around midnight.

Sign at Manas AFB where
my husband is stationed.

For weeks (okay, months) leading up to the deployment I have been thinking of ways to cut corners. That is NOT EASY for me. I'm not a perfectionist but I really like keeping a certain standard in my home...one of them is to make as healthy meals as possible (please forget everything I said about a certain marshmallow cereal & cake for breakfast)...I digress... So if I don't cut corners on what my kids eat on a regular basis...that means I don't do microwave dinners and rarely any pre-prepared meals out of the freezer section at all...pizza 1x a week at the most...rarely do we do anything out of a can...do you want me to continue?

So here's how I plan to make the time go by more quickly & cut corners...and it doesn't just involve food...

-Paper plates for pretty much everything

-Paper bowls for things that will drip off of paper plates

It's VERY cold & snowy in
Kyrgyzstan right now.

-increased hug length...if I hug the girls each more often and increase squeeze time from about 10-15 seconds to well over 20...that'll make the day just fly by...cutting corners on the "I'm bored" chatter around the house (come on, give your mama a hug or 3). [This does not include all the extra cuddling & middle-of-the-night visits that I know will be needed...my oldest is an excellent cuddler.]

-Let my youngest eat in a onsie instead of real clothes. You should see her eat & you'd understand. It'll cut my laundry by 1/3.

-Put 1/2 the toys in the garage (to rotate back in at a later date)...decreased pick-up toy time DRAMATICALLY.

-Accept (almost) all dinner invites...you know, a girl's still got a schedule to keep, so it's impossible to keep ALL invites.

-Eat out more. 'Nuf said.

-INCREASED PRAYER...surely that, out of this entire list, will make this time more bearable till the Hubster comes home...

This month, as much as possible, I am planning to focus on all things military in honor of my amazing husband The Major and to all the other men & women out there & their families who are serving bravely. I hope you enjoy the contributing posts by other writers. ;-)

Cheers,
Elizabeth

Your Turn: How do you cut corners or make the time pass quicker when you need to? I'd love to hear our ideas.